Conservative Lutherans gather here to launch new denomination

Wednesday

Aug 25, 2010 at 12:01 AMAug 25, 2010 at 8:28 PM

A new Lutheran denomination will be born over the next two days in Columbus, made up of Christians disturbed by what they consider a liberalizing of their church, particularly on issues of homosexuality.

A new Lutheran denomination will be born over the next two days in Columbus, made up of Christians disturbed by what they consider a liberalizing of their church, particularly on issues of homosexuality.

The North American Lutheran Church, or NALC, will be mostly made up of theologically conservative congregations who have left or will leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or ELCA, the country's largest Lutheran denomination.

The ELCA angered some conservative members last summer when it voted to allow people in same-sex relationships to serve as clergy members and professional lay workers. Prior to that, gay clergy and lay workers had to be celibate.

The denomination also passed a resolution supporting congregations that recognize same-sex relationships, a move some said would lead to wider use of blessings of those relationships.

But the problem for conservatives is wider than homosexuality, said the Rev. Paull Spring of State College, Pa., who is expected to be elected bishop of the NALC at the meeting.

Also at play is a misunderstanding of what authority-- Scripture or "the mood of the times" -- should guide the church, he said.

The ELCA is following cultural norms, not the Bible, Spring said.

The NALC grew out of Lutheran CORE, a conservative group mostly within the ELCA. Upper Arlington Lutheran Church is hosting CORE as it forms the new denomination Thursday and Friday.

The ELCA was formed out of three Lutheran bodies in Columbus in 1987.

The NALC will be small and lean in terms of administration, Spring said. He expects 200 congregations to join by the end of next year.

The CORE convocation is taking place at Grove City Church of the Nazarene because it has more space. About 1,200 people are expected to attend, said the Rev. Paul Ulring of Upper Arlington Lutheran.

Ulring's church is still officially part of the ELCA but has passed a first vote to leave. A second vote is required and may take place in late October, Ulring said.

Out of 10,239 congregations, 504 have taken a first vote to leave, said John Brooks, a national spokesman for the ELCA. Of those, 348 passed.

Of the 348, 212 congregations have taken a second vote, with 199 voting to leave. They have the option of joining the NALC or another Lutheran denomination.

In the Southern Ohio Synod, which includes Columbus, two churches have left, said Bishop Callon W. Holloway Jr. Four are considering a first vote, in addition to Upper Arlington Lutheran having already taken it.

The combination of the sexuality debate and the economy has taken a toll on the synod's finances, Holloway said. The income received from congregations is down 9 percent over this time last year, he said.

The members of NALC are "still people of good will," Holloway said. "My hope is that they would remain, but I understand they feel they must leave."

Nationally, the church council is slashing the budget, Brooks said. The council cut $7.7 million and 41 full-time positions in November, and another $4.2 million was cut this month.

The national staff has been told to expect a reorganizing in October in response to declining revenue, he said.

The issue of homosexuality shouldn't tear apart a denomination, said the Rev. Chris Adams, pastor of North Community Evangelical Lutheran Church at 114 Morse Rd. His church will stay with the ELCA, he said.

"God's love and call to serve the people and spread the Gospel is stronger than one particular issue," he said.